In my last article, I mentioned how hard it has been for the New York Red Bulls to defeat the New England Revolution in league play. But they did it. And now, just over a week later, RBNY had to make the trip up I-95 to do it again.

I’M SPOILED: I was in the press box for the last round Open Cup match vs Philadelphia Union, as well as the round before vs NYCFC. So it’s a big change watching the live stream on my tablet at home. It’s much smaller. And I had to make my own dinner. It’s… just not the same.

I can’t say it looked much better up at Jordan Field at Harvard University. Turf field, metal bleachers, threat of torrential downpour. Still, about 75 Red Bull supporters joined the team to cheer them on. It was a familiar sound coming through my tablet when the supporters sang and cheered through the whole match.

CHANGE WILL DO YOU GOOD: with mainstay defenders Aurelien Collin and Damien Perrinelle entirely of the lineup, manager Jesse Marsch made important changes to the starting XI. Connor Lade was given his chance at Center Back, a spot usually reserved for…uh… well: a *taller* player. But he did an amazing job in the back line alongside Aaron Long, Sal Zizzo, and Tyler Adams, who had the freedom to overlap with Sean Davis on the attack.

A SLOW START: Despite being scoreless in the first half, RBNY held on to the ball well. They went on to claim 56% overall possession and over 400 passes. But I was sure this was going to extra time until:

Bradley Wright-Phillips has been called “The Ultimate Scoring Machine,” a clever send up of the BMW slogan. Can’t argue that!

BREAK RED: Revs defender Benjamin Angoua was shown a Red card in the 75th minute following a challenge on Bradley Wright-Phillips. The challenge itself didn’t seem particularly vicious, and the usual argument with referee Jorge Gonzalez appeared uneventful. But there was Gonzalez, pointing to the sideline, and captain Lee Nguyen trying to calm an incensed Angoua and escort him off the field. I still don’t know exactly what he did or said to merit the red card, but I’m terribly nosy and will keep looking into it.

BONES TO PICK: I’m not one to complain, but this is my article, dang it. And I know I’m saying these things out of love…

WYD Alex Muyl? Stop scrambling and stay on the ball!

And Gonzalo Verón STILL isn’t getting more minutes? I know strategy is above my pay grade, but

Hopefully RBNY will be closer to full strength when league play resumes, although Kemar Lawrence and Michael Amir Murillo could still be on international duty. Either way, the boys in red and white should bring the confidence from this win back home to Red Bull Arena. A sprinkling of the magic, if you will.

MLS. It’s not the league of the road warrior. It’s ridiculously difficult to go into an opponent’s stadium and do well. Going into Stade Saputo, the New York Red Bulls (6-7-2, 20 points) had not won an away game since Opening Weekend (vs expansion team Atlanta United) and haven’t scored away since April 1st (in a 4-1 loss against Houston Dynamo).

The form that sent them to the playoffs, that won them the Supporter’s Shield twice in 3 years, and that fans saw coming back in their two most recent wins at home, is slipping away again. Facing the Montreal Impact (4-4-4, 16 points) didn’t make matters easier. This was the team that ousted RBNY from the playoffs last year, Red Bulls Midfielder Felipe’s former team, and the club that had traded to acquire Chris Duvall from RBNY.

During most of the game, the ball stayed on the right side of the field while the Red Bulls had possession. The problem with that is it kept Kemar Lawrence and Mike Grella out of the mix for most of the match. However, a lot of the responsibility fell to Michael AmirMurillo at RB, and he handled the job well. Considering the perceived instability of the back line, defenders Murillo, Lawrence, Aaron Long, and Damien Perrinelle held up quite well throughout the match. Even when Montreal midfielder Blerim Dzemaili made a goal in the 30th minute, it was not because the back line was sleeping on the throw in. Fortunately, the deflection off Dominic Oduro caused the goal to be called back for an offside play.

Following the match, Captain Sacha Kljestan admitted that the team cannot rely on striker Bradly Wright-Phillips to score all the goals; he and the other attackers have to pull their own weight. He should have pointed that out before the match: Grella attempted some fancy footwork in the 42nd minute, as if he was going to dribble the ball right past Impact GK Evan Bush. Then in the 50th minute, Kljestan himself either whiffed the ball or went for the assist: either way, the ball went wide and was another wasted opportunity. Even Felipe, who drew several fouls and took a few free kicks, couldn’t land the ball in the net.

And then, just what the Red Bulls feared came to fruition: in the 67th minute, the Impact earned a free kick and re-started faster than the Red Bulls thought they would. This allowed Dzemaili to poke the ball straight through to the back of the net. They were caught slow, lost, and behind the run of play.

Coach Jesse Marsch called in the reinforcements (Fred Gulbrandsen in for Sean Davis and Gonzalo Veron for Grella in the 75th minute) and the attack was back on. Had the game been maybe ten minutes longer, RBNY might have had a chance to level it. But then in stoppage time Impact midfielder Patrice Bernier slid off the field and fell into the Montreal bench (they have dugout-style benches very close to the touchline—I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often). While Bernier got up and walked out on his own, the incident killed the run of play and referee Mark Geiger did not add additional time to the three minutes already in place.

The International Break is coming up, and prior USMNT call-ups Luis Robles and Sacha Kljestan are staying home (Murillo has been called for Panama, and Lawrence is expected to be called for Jamaica). This is the time they need to rest and refocus. RBNY is hovering at the red line that dictates who makes the playoffs: while they’ve been there before, it’s not where they belong. They have what it takes to climb the standings. They just need to find it in themselves again.

Mid-week. On the road. Non-conference. Apparently, it was time to change things up a bit.

The New York Red Bulls (5-4-1, 15 points), coming off a successful home stand, hit the road with their first stop in Children’s Mercy Park to face Western Conference powerhouse Sporting Kansas City (5-1-3, 19 points).

Having started a run of three games in 8 days, RBNY coach Jesse Marsch made significant changes to the lineup. Sacha Kljestan gave his captain’s armband up to Luis Robles. Defender (and reality TV star) Sal Zizzo made an appearance at center back, since Aurelien Collin is week-to-week with a groin injury. Panamanian international Michael Murillo made his long-awaited debut for RBNY. Bradley Wright-Phillips took a well-deserved break, making way for Designated Player Gonzalo Veron and Frederik Gulbrandsen to lead the team in a 4-2-2-2 formation.

On the other hand, SKC was not interested in making significant changes. Captain Matt Besler, USMNT notables Graham Zusi & Benny Feilhaber, and the ever-popular SKC striker Dom Dwyer were ready for a fight in front of the KC Cauldron. It’s worth noting that a win for either side would have put them in 1st place in their conference. In hindsight, that doesn’t seem to have been the priority for New York.

The starting whistle was more like a starting pistol for both teams: pace and passing were intense in the first 20 minutes.Both sides were held scoreless in the first half, despite the solid chances for Gulbrandsen and Zizzo. Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia made several saves to keep his side in the game.

Then the second half happened. Sporting KC decided they wanted it more and acted on it. In the opening minute, Feilhaber made a shot into the NY box that Zizzo couldn’t clear and Dwyer sunk the ball into the back of the net. Although the rest was over for usual starters Klejstan, Wright-Phillips, and Dani Royer, it proved to be too little too late: in the 68th minute, the combination of Feilhaber and Dwyer caught the defense sleeping and scored a second time. The game ended in a 2-0 loss for the Red Bulls, and fans were left questioning the lesson that was meant to be learned.

Was it a night for experimentation? If so, Marsch had the right idea putting in Murillo and Derrick Etienne, and starting Gulbrandsen, to see what they could do in unfamiliar territory. Was it worth losing? No one is happy to lose, especially when the chances were there for the Red Bulls. Honestly, this is the first write-up I’ve had to make with a RBNY loss. It’s not fun.

Next game for RBNY is this Saturday, away at Philadelphia Union, who must be very hungry for a win. How will the Red Bulls handle this very different situation?